Senate Bill 2008

AN ACT TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY PROGRAM TO BE
ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TO ENSURE THAT
HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITIES ARE NOT DISPROPORTIONATELY CONCENTRATED IN MINORITY
OR LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES; TO AMEND SECTIONS 17-17-15, 17-17-27, 17-17-151, 49-17-25,
49-17-29, 25-43-5 AND 25-43-7, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY TO THE
PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Mississippi
Environmental Equity Act."

SECTION 2. It
is in the interest of the citizens of Mississippi to ensure equal environmental
protection for all people regardless of race, ethnicity, or socio-economic
status. There is an urgent need to
collect, analyze and report regularly data on environmental quality and related
public health measures by race, ethnicity and socio-economic status, and to
develop policies and programs that prevent and reduce the disproportionately greater
exposures to potentially hazardous substances experienced by racial minority,
ethnic minority and low-income populations.
It is the intent of the Legislature to ensure equitable processes and
outcomes in the prevention and reduction of human exposure to potentially
harmful substances, to enhance the authority of the Department of Environmental
Quality to investigate and make siting recommendations of hazardous waste
facilities.

SECTION 3. As
used in this act, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings
respectively ascribed herein unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(i) Prevention and reduction of releases of
potentially harmful substances to the environment;

(ii) Prevention and reduction of human exposure
to potentially harmful substances in the environment;

(iii) Distribution of environmental services among
population groups, including racial minority, ethnic minority and low-income
groups; and

(iv) Sharing by all economic levels and ethnic
groups of the negative and positive impact of actions proposed by individuals,
corporations and public agencies which are found to affect the quality of the
environment.

(b) "Low-income community" means any
area in which one (1) of the following conditions exist:

(i) Twenty percent (20%) or more of the citizens
are persons or families who require financial assistance from any federal or
state assistance program due to insufficient personal or family income; or

(ii) Twenty percent (20%) or more of the citizens
are persons or families with income below the poverty level as reported in the
most recent federal decennial census; or

(c) "Minority community" means an area
where fifty percent (50%) or more of the residents are Asian, Black, Hispanic
or Native American, according to the following definitions:

(i) "Asian" means a person having
origins in any of the original people of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the
Indian subcontinent or the Pacific Islands.

(ii) "Black" means a person having
origins in any Black racial group of Africa.

(iii) "Hispanic" means a person of
Spanish or Portuguese culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America
or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race.

(iv) "Native American" means a person
having origins in any of the original people of North America, including
American Indians, Eskimos and Aleuts.

(d) "Potentially harmful substance"
means:

(i) Any hazardous substance;

(ii) Any air pollutant as defined under the Clean
Air Act;

(iii) Any extremely hazardous substance as defined
under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act;

(iv) Any hazardous chemical for which a material
safety data sheet is required to be prepared under the Occupational Safety and
Health Act of 1970 or regulations promulgated under that act;

(v) Any toxic chemical under the Superfund Act;

(vi) Any pesticide as defined under the federal
Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act; and

(vii) Chemicals subject to restrictive orders
under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

(e) "Release" or "releases"
means any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging,
injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping or disposing into the environment
(including abandonment or discarding of barrels, containers and other collapsed
receptacles containing any potentially harmful substance), but excludes any
release that results in exposure to persons solely within a workplace, the normal
application of fertilizer and releases during routine use of a product that do
not result in exposure to individuals who are not present in the residence or
facility where the product is to be used.

(f) "State" refers to the State of
Mississippi.

(g)
"Task force" means the Environmental Equity Task Force
established under Section 5 of this act.

SECTION 4.
(1) The Department of
Environmental Quality shall promulgate regulations providing for a
comprehensive assessment, on a continuing basis, of the extent to which
identifiable populations are disproportionately exposed to potentially harmful
substances in the environment on the basis of race, ethnicity or socio-economic
status, and the development and implementation, on a continuing basis, of state
regulations, policies, programs and enforcement priorities that prevent and
reduce any such disproportionate exposure.

The department shall
publish a notice of proposed rulemaking, not later than one hundred eighty
(180) days after the effective date of this act, and provide a public comment
period of sixty (60) days after the publication of the notice of proposed
rulemaking; and publish its adopted regulations not later than forty-five (45)
days after the public comment period.

The rules
promulgated under this section shall be promulgated in accordance with the
Administrative Procedures Law to the extent that the Administrative Procedures
Act does not conflict with this section.

(2) The Department of Environmental Quality also
shall:

(a) Review statutory authority, regulations and
policies for the purpose of determining whether there are any deficiencies or
inconsistencies therein that are a barrier to full compliance with the
provisions of this act;

(b) Review, on a continuing basis, programs administered,
mandated, delegated or funded by the state to ensure that they are in
compliance with the provisions of this act;

(c) Develop decision criteria for use in the
rulemaking, permitting and enforcement programs to ensure that the state's
activities are in compliance with the provisions of this act;

(d) Implement the environmental equity research
program;

(e) Develop and implement a strategy for
preventing pollution and encouraging sustainable development that is consistent
with the provisions of this act;

(g) Develop and implement a public
participation, communication and educations strategy to ensure public
participation and public access to data and reports;

(h) Develop and implement a plan for assisting
other federal, state and local government agencies in examining environmental
equity concerns;

(i) Provide environmental equity awareness
training;

(j) Provide technical assistance and training to
aid other public and private entities in the promotion of environmental equity;

(k) Prepare a report by January 15, 1998, and
each year thereafter, on the status of environmental equity activities;

(l) Ensure that the department provides for the
function of an ombudsman with the department.

SECTION 5.
(1) There shall be an
Environmental Equity Task Force that will consist of fifteen (15) voting
members to be appointed by the leadership of the Legislative Black Caucus, State
House of Representatives, State Senate, Department of Environmental Quality,
Governor's Office and Southern Echo Environmental Group, as provided in this
section. Seven (7) of the voting
members shall be minority members of the state Legislature appointed as
follows: two (2) members shall be
appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, two (2) members shall be
appointed by the Speaker Pro Tempore of the House, and the final three (3)
members shall be appointed by the leadership of the Legislative Black Caucus. The remaining eight (8) voting members of
the task force shall be appointed as follows:
four (4) members shall be appointed by the Governor's Office, three (3)
members shall be appointed by the Department of Environmental Quality and one
(1) member shall be appointed by Southern Echo Environmental Group. Nonvoting members of the task force shall
include members of the House Conservation and Water Resources Committee and
Senate Environmental Protection, Conservation and Water Resources Committee,
environmental advocacy organizations, such as the Sierra Club, and other
grassroots organizations, all of whom shall be selected by the chairman of the
task force. The terms of the voting
members of the task force shall be as follows:
five (5) of the initial members shall be appointed for terms of four (4)
years, five (5) of the initial members shall be appointed for terms of three
(3) years and five (5) of the initial members shall be appointed for terms of
two (2) years, respectively, from the date of their appointment. After the expiration of the initial terms
provided for under this subsection, all subsequent appointments shall be for
terms of four (4) years from the expiration date of the previous term.

The chairman shall
be elected from the fifteen (15) voting members of the task force. Members of the task force shall receive no
compensation for their services, but the voting members of the task force shall
be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance
of their official duties as provided in Section 25-3-41.

(2) The task force shall have the following
powers and duties:

(a) To litigate;

(b) To make and execute contracts and all other
instruments necessary or convenient for the exercise of its powers and function
under this act;

(c) To assist the Department of Environmental
Quality with holding public hearings and to contract for professional and
technical assistance and advice;

(d) To contract for and to accept assistance,
including, but not limited to, gifts, grants or loans of funds or of property
from the federal or state government, or from any other public or private
source and to comply with the terms or conditions thereof, subject to the
applicable general policies;

(e) To encourage individuals, corporations,
associations, organizations and public agencies to consider the environmental
interests of the minority or low-income communities in its decision-making
process;

(f) To provide local governments and the private
sector with improved liaison, interpretation and focus relative to a variety of
state and federal programs which bear on environmental equity;

(g) To conduct systematic and thorough research
to be made available to the public on environmental issues that relate to
minority or low-income communities, including, but not limited to, lead,
occupational hazards, siting of polluting facilities and access to parks and
other open spaces;

(h) To conduct community outreach and produce
materials to educate the public about issues related to environmental equity;
and

(i) To exercise and perform such other powers
and duties as shall have been or may be from time to time conveyed or imposed
by law.

SECTION 6. In
order to determine if there are significant adverse impacts of environmental
pollution on human health in environmental high-impact areas, minority or low-income
communities, there shall be a moratorium on the siting or permitting of any new
toxic chemical facility in any environmental high-impact area shown to emit
toxic chemicals in quantities found to cause significant adverse impacts on
human health. A new toxic chemical
facility may be cited or permitted in such an environmental high-impact area
during this period only if:

(a) The need for the activity is shown; and

(b) The facility demonstrates that it will
minimize uncontrolled releases into the environment.

The moratorium shall
continue in effect in such an environmental high-impact area until the task
force determines, upon petition of any interested party, that the health-based
levels identified have been attained in the area.

17-17-15.
(1) Hazardous wastes shall not
be handled or disposed of along with or in the same site or adjoining site as
ordinary wastes unless specifically approved as exempted waste by the
department. These shall be disposed of
by special incinerators, separate landfills, or other means dictated by the
particularities of the hazardous waste involved, as determined by the department
or other responsible agency. The
department may, in its discretion, maintain a field office at any treatment or
disposal facility that receives hazardous wastes directly or indirectly from
more than one (1) generator. However,
the department shall maintain a field office at any commercial off-site
multiuser hazardous waste incinerator designed to incinerate multiple
nonhomogeneous types of wastes, and the cost of operating such field office
shall be borne by the owner of such commercial hazardous waste incinerator. The field office, when required, shall be
located in adequate accommodations provided by the facility owner and shall be
staffed with department regulatory personnel as deemed necessary by the
department. In exercising its
discretion to determine the need for a field office, regulatory staff and
support equipment, the department shall consider, at a minimum, the type and
amount of hazardous waste received and also the type of facility. All fees shall be established by the
department and shall be in addition to any other fees provided by law. The fee prescribed by the department shall
be in an amount not less than the actual operating expenses of the permanent
field office and shall be in addition to any other fees required by law.

(2)
In addition to considering all applicable state and federal laws and
regulations, the Mississippi Pollution Control Permit Board shall not issue a
permit for the establishment or operation of a commercial hazardous waste
landfill for the disposal of hazardous waste (as defined by Section 17-17-3,
Mississippi Code of 1972), in the State of Mississippi until the Environmental
Protection Agency makes a final determination, pursuant to the federal
Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984, Public Law No. 98-616, that each
waste to be placed in such landfill is suitable for land disposal.

(3)
No permit shall be issued pursuant to this section that is in conflict
with the provision of the Mississippi Environmental Equity Act.

17-17-27.
(1) The department shall
exercise such supervision over restrictions, equipment, methodology and
personnel in the management of solid wastes as may be necessary to enforce
sanitary requirements; and the commission shall adopt such rules and
regulations as may be needed to specify methodology and procedures to meet the
requirements of this chapter, which shall include at a minimum:

(a)
Criteria for the determination of whether any waste or combination of
wastes is hazardous for the purposes of this chapter;

(b)
Rules and regulations for the storage, treatment and disposal of solid
wastes;

(c)
Rules and regulations for the transportation, containerization and
labeling of hazardous wastes, which rules shall be consistent with those issued
by the United States Department of Transportation;

(d)
Rules and regulations specifying the terms and conditions under which
the Permit Board shall issue, modify, suspend, revoke or deny such permits as
may be required by this chapter. Such
rules and regulations shall include, and not by way of limitation, specific
authority for the Permit Board to consider the financial capability and
performance history of an applicant.No permit shall be issued that is in conflict with the provisions of
the Mississippi Environmental Equity Act;

(e)
Rules and regulations establishing standards and procedures for the safe
storage or transportation of hazardous waste and for the safe operation and
maintenance of hazardous waste treatment or disposal facilities or sites or
equipment;

(f)
A listing of those wastes or combinations of wastes which are not
compatible, and which may not be stored or disposed of together;

(g)
Procedures and requirements for the use of a manifest during the
transport of hazardous wastes;

(h)
Standards for financial responsibility to cover the liability, closure
and post-closure of any site and perpetual care of a commercial hazardous waste
landfill. Rules and regulations
promulgated hereunder may include, and not by way of limitation, requirements
for maintaining liability insurance coverage if such coverage is not required
under rules and regulations promulgated by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency;

(i)
Rules and regulations establishing minimum distances within which any
hazardous waste disposal facility may be located from any municipality, school,
residence, church or health care facility;

(j)
Other rules and regulations as the commission deems necessary to manage
hazardous wastes in the state, provided that such rules and regulations shall
be equivalent to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's rules and
regulations.

(2)
In complying with this section the commission shall consider the
variations within this state in climate, geology, population density and such
other factors as may be relevant to the management of hazardous wastes. It is the intent of the Legislature that
commercial hazardous waste landfills be located on those sites which, by virtue
of their geologic conditions, provide a high degree of environmental
protection. In carrying out the intent
of this provision, the commission is authorized to adopt siting criteria for
commercial hazardous waste landfills which are more stringent or extensive in
scope, coverage and effect than the rules and regulations promulgated by the
United States Environmental Protection Agency.

(3)
Except as hereinafter provided, hazardous wastes shall not be disposed
of in this state by the use of underground injection methods, as herein defined
according to 40 CFR 260.10(74) to mean "subsurface emplacement of fluids
through a bored, drilled, or driven well, or through a dug well, where the
depth of the dug well is greater than the largest surface dimension." This prohibition shall not apply to the
disposal on the generation site of hazardous wastes generated in the production
of oil or gas or in a commercial or manufacturing operation. Commercial hazardous waste underground
injection wells designed or intended to dispose of multiple nonhomogeneous
types of wastes from multiple sources other than the owner of the well are
hereby prohibited in the State of Mississippi.

A commercial hazardous waste landfill shall
not be located on the same site or within one thousand (1,000) feet of an
existing or abandoned ordinary waste disposal site, unless the hazardous waste
to be disposed of in said commercial landfill is specifically approved as
exempted.

(4)
After promulgation of the regulations required under this section, no
person shall construct, substantially alter or operate any solid waste
treatment or disposal facility or site, nor shall any person store, treat or
dispose of any hazardous waste without first obtaining a permit from the Permit
Board for such facility, site or activity.
However, no person shall construct any new hazardous waste treatment or
disposal facility or site or substantially alter any such existing facility or
site, nor shall the Permit Board issue a permit for any such construction or
alteration, until the commission has promulgated rules and regulations under
the provisions of subsection (1)(j) of this section. Said rules and regulations shall be equivalent to counterpart
rules and regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency whether now in
effect or hereinafter promulgated. Any
person who has made an application for a permit for an existing facility under
this section shall be treated as having been issued such permit until such time
as final administrative disposition of such application has been made unless
the cause of such delay is the result of the failure of the applicant to
furnish information reasonably required or requested in order to process the
application.

(5)
Any permit issued under this section may be revoked by the issuing
agency at any time when the permittee fails to comply with the terms and
conditions of the permit. Where the
obtaining of or compliance with any permit required under this section would,
in the judgment of the department, cause undue or unreasonable hardship to any
person, the department may issue a variance from these requirements. In no case shall the duration of any such
variance exceed one (1) year. Renewals
or extensions may be given only after an opportunity has been given for public
comment on each such renewal or extension.

(6)
Information obtained by the commission concerning environmental
protection including, but not limited to, information contained in applications
for solid or hazardous waste disposal permits shall be public information and
shall be made available upon proper request.
Other information obtained by the commission, department, or Permit
Board in the administration of Sections 17-17-1 through 17-17-47 concerning
trade secrets, including, but not limited to, marketing or financial
information, treatment, transportation, storage or disposal processes or
devices, methods of manufacture, or production capabilities or amounts shall be
kept confidential if and only if: (a) a written confidentiality claim is made
when the information is supplied; (b) such confidentiality claim allows
disclosure to authorized department employees and/or the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and (c) such confidentiality claim is
determined by the commission to be valid.
If the confidentiality claim is denied, the information sought to be
covered thereby shall not be released or disclosed, except to the Environmental
Protection Agency, until the claimant has been notified in writing and afforded
an opportunity for a hearing and appeal therefrom, as with other orders of the
commission. Disclosure of confidential
information by the EPA shall be governed by federal law and EPA
regulations. Misappropriation of a
trade secret shall be governed by the Mississippi Uniform Trade Secrets Act,
Sections 75-26-1 through 75-26-19.

(7)
Anyone making unauthorized disclosure of information determined to be
confidential as herein provided shall be liable in a civil action for damages
arising therefrom and shall also be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable as
provided by law.

(8)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the executive
director, upon receipt of information that the generation, storage,
transportation, treatment or disposal of any solid waste may present an imminent
and substantial hazard to the public health or to the environment, may take any
legal, equitable or other action, including injunctive relief, necessary to
protect the health of such persons or the environment.

17-17-151.
(1) Each application for the
issuance of a permit to operate a commercial hazardous waste management
facility shall be accompanied by a demonstration of need for that facility in
the anticipated service area, which shall be of the form and content as the
Permit Board may prescribe.
Applications for the reissuance, transfer or modification of previously
issued permits, except modifications seeking an increase in the volume of
hazardous waste to be managed on an annual basis, shall not be subject to the
requirements of this section.

(2)
The demonstration of need shall be specific as to the types of hazardous
waste to be managed and shall include, but not be limited to:

(a)
Documentation of the available capacity at existing commercial hazardous
waste management facilities in the area to be served by the facility;

(b)
Documentation of the current volume of hazardous waste generated in the
area to be served by the facility and the volume of hazardous waste reasonably
expected to be generated in the area to be served over the next twenty (20)
years; and

(c)
A description of any additional factors, such as physical limitations on
the transportation of the hazardous waste or the existence of additional
capacity outside the area to be served which may satisfy the projected need.

(3)
The Permit Board shall consider the following factors in evaluating the
need for the proposed facility:

(a)
The extent to which the proposed commercial hazardous waste management facility
is in conformance with the Mississippi Capacity Assurance Plan and any
interstate or regional agreements associated therewith;

(b)
An approximate service area for the proposed facility which takes into
account the economics of hazardous waste collection, transportation, treatment,
storage and disposal;

(c)
The quantity of hazardous waste generated within the anticipated service
area suitable for treatment, storage or disposal at the proposed facility;

(d)
The design capacity of existing commercial hazardous waste management
facilities located within the anticipated service area of the proposed
facility; and

(e)
The extent to which the proposed facility is needed to replace other
facilities, if the need for a proposed commercial hazardous waste management
facility cannot be established under paragraphs (a) through (d).

(4)
No permit shall be issued that is in conflict with the provisions of
the Mississippi Environmental Equity Act.

(5)
Based on the needs of the State of Mississippi, it is the intent of the
Legislature that there shall not be a proliferation of unnecessary facilities
in any one (1) county of the state.

(6)
If the Permit Board determines that a proposed commercial hazardous
waste management facility is inconsistent with or contradictory to the factors
set forth in subsection (3), the Permit Board is hereby empowered to deny any
permit for such facility.

(7)
The commission shall develop and adopt criteria and standards to be
considered in location and permitting of commercial hazardous waste management
facilities. The standards and criteria
shall be developed through public participation, shall be enforced by the
Permit Board and shall include, in addition to all applicable state and federal
rules and regulations, consideration of:

(a)
Hydrological and geological factors such as flood plains, depth to water
table, soil composition and permeability, cavernous bedrock, seismic activity,
and slope;

(b)
Natural resource factors such as wetlands, endangered species habitats,
proximity to parks, forests, wilderness areas and historical sites, and air
quality;

(c)
Land use factors such as local land use, whether residential,
industrial, commercial, recreational or agricultural, proximity to public water
supplies, and proximity to incompatible structures such as schools, churches
and airports;

(d)
Transportation factors, such as proximity to waste generators and to
population, route safety and method of transportation; and

(e)
Aesthetic factors such as the visibility, appearance and noise level of
the facility.

49-17-25.
(1) Except as provided in
subsection (4) of this section prior to the adoption, amendment or repeal
of rules and regulations necessary to implement this chapter, Sections 17-17-1
through 17-17-47, Sections 21-27-201 through 21-27-221, Sections 37-138-1
through 37-138-31, and all other laws administered by the department, the
commission shall conduct a public hearing or hearings thereon after public
notice. Such notice shall be given by
publication once a week for three (3) successive weeks in a newspaper having a
general circulation throughout the state.
The notice shall contain a description of the proposed regulation and
the time, date and place of the hearing.

(2)
Additionally, the adoption, amendment or repeal of any rule or
regulation under this chapter, Sections 17-17-1 through 17-17-47, Sections 21-27-201
through 21-27-221, Sections 37-138-1 through 37-138-31 and all other laws
administered by the department shall be governed by the "Mississippi
Administrative Procedures Law."
Any rule or regulation heretofore or hereafter adopted, amended or
repealed in substantial compliance with the procedural requirements under
Section 25-43-7 shall be valid. A
proceeding to contest any rule or regulation on the ground of noncompliance
with the procedural requirements of this section must be commenced within one
(1) year from the effective date of the rule or regulation.

(3)
Notice of rules and regulations adopted by the commission shall be
published once in a newspaper having general circulation throughout the state.

(4) Any rules or regulations adopted pursuant to
Section 4 of Senate Bill No. 2008, 2003 Regular Session, shall be governed by
the provisions of that section and subsection (2) of this section.

49-17-29. (1)
(a) Except as in compliance with
paragraph (b) of this subsection, it is unlawful for any person to cause
pollution of the air in the state or to place or cause to be placed any wastes
or other products or substances in a location where they are likely to cause
pollution of the air. It is also
unlawful to discharge any wastes, products or substances into the air of the
state which exceed standards of performance, hazardous air pollutant standards,
other emission standards set by the commission, or which reduce the quality of
the air below the air quality standards or increments established by the
commission or prevent attainment or maintenance of those air quality standards.
Any such action is hereby declared to be a public nuisance.

(b) It is unlawful for any person to build,
erect, alter, replace, use or operate any equipment which will cause the
issuance of air contaminants unless that person holds a permit from the Permit
Board (except repairs or maintenance of equipment for which a permit has been
previously issued), or unless that person is exempted from holding a permit by
a regulation promulgated by the commission.
Concentrated animal feeding operations may be a source or a category of
sources exempted under this paragraph.
However, no new or existing applications relating to swine concentrated
animal feeding operations within a county shall be exempted from regulations
and ordinances which have been duly passed by the county's board of supervisors
and which are in force on June 1, 1998.

(2) (a)
Except as in compliance with paragraph (b) of this subsection, it is
unlawful for any person to cause pollution of any waters of the state or to
place or cause to be placed any wastes in a location where they are likely to
cause pollution of any waters of the state.
It is also unlawful to discharge any wastes into any waters of the state
which reduce the quality of those waters below the water quality standards
established by the commission; or to violate any applicable pretreatment
standards or limitations, technology-based effluent limitations, toxic
standards or any other limitations established by the commission. Any such action is declared to be a public
nuisance.

(b) It is unlawful for any person to carry on
any of the following activities, unless that person holds a current permit for
that activity from the Permit Board as may be required for the disposal of all
wastes which are or may bedischarged
into the waters of the state, or unless that person is exempted from holding a
permit by a regulation promulgated by the commission: (i) the construction,
installation, modification or operation of any disposal system or part thereof
or any extension or addition thereto, including, but not limited to, systems
serving agricultural operations; (ii) the increase in volume or strength of any
wastes in excess of the permissive discharges specified under any existing
permit; (iii) the construction, installation or operation of any industrial,
commercial or other establishment, including irrigation projects or any
extension or modification thereof or addition thereto, the operation of which
would cause an increase in the discharge of wastes into the waters of the state
or would otherwise alter the physical, chemical or biological properties of any
waters of the state in any manner not already lawfully authorized; (iv) the construction
or use of any new outlet for the discharge of any wastes into the waters of the
state. However, no new or existing
applications relating to swine concentrated animal feeding operations within a
county shall be exempted from regulations and ordinances which have been duly
passed by the county's board of supervisors and which are in force on June 1,
1998.

(3) (a)
Except as otherwise provided in this section, the Permit Board created
by Section 49-17-28 shall be the exclusive administrative body to make
decisions on permit issuance, reissuance, denial, modification or revocation of
air pollution control and water pollution control permits and permits required
under the Solid Wastes Disposal Law of 1974 (Title 17, Chapter 17), and all
other permits within the jurisdiction of the Permit Board. After consideration of alternative waste
treatment technologies available to control air and water pollution and odor,
including appropriate siting criteria, the commission may promulgate
regulations establishing conditions, limitations and exemptions under which the
Permit Board shall make these decisions.
Regulations promulgated by the commission which establish exemptions as
authorized under this section shall apply to any applicable facility in
operation on the effective date of that regulation and to any applicable
facility constructed or operated after the effective date of that
regulation. The Permit Board may issue
multiple permits for the same facility or operation simultaneously or in the
sequence that it deems appropriate consistent with the commission's
regulations. Except as otherwise
provided in this paragraph, the Permit Board, under any conditions that the
board may prescribe, may authorize the Executive Director of the Department of
Environmental Quality to make decisions on permit issuance, reissuance, denial,
modification or revocation. The
executive director shall not be authorized to make decisions on permit
issuance, reissuance, denial, modification or revocation for a commercial hazardous
waste management facility or a municipal solid waste landfill or
incinerator. A decision by the
executive director shall be a decision of the Permit Board and shall be subject
to formal hearing and appeal as provided in this section. The executive director shall report all
permit decisions to the Permit Board at its next regularly scheduled meeting
and those decisions shall be recorded in the minutes of the Permit Board. The decisions of the Permit Board shall be
recorded in minutes of the Permit Board and shall be kept separate and apart
from the minutes of the commission. The
decision of the Permit Board or the executive director to issue, reissue, deny,
modify or revoke permits shall not be construed to be an order or other action
of the commission.

(b) The Executive Director of the Department of
Environmental Quality shall also be the Executive Director of the Permit Board
and shall have available to him, as Executive Director of the Permit Board, all
resources and personnel otherwise available to him as executive director of the
department.

(c) All persons required to obtain an air
pollution control or water pollution control permit, a permit under the Solid
Wastes Disposal Law of 1974 (Title 17, Chapter 17) or any other permit within
the jurisdiction of the Permit Board shall make application for that permit
with the Permit Board. The Permit
Board, under any regulations as the commission may prescribe, may require the
submission of those plans, specifications and other information as it deems
necessary to carry out Sections 49-17-1 through 49-17-43 and Title 17, Chapter
17, or to carry out the commission's regulations adopted under those
sections. The Permit Board, based upon
any information as it deems relevant, shall issue, reissue, deny, modify or
revoke air pollution control or water pollution control permit or permits
required under the Solid Wastes Disposal Law of 1974 (Title 17, Chapter 17) or
any other permit within the jurisdiction of the Permit Board under any
conditions as it deems necessary that are consistent with the commission's
regulations. The Permit Board's action
of issuance, reissuance, denial, modification or revocation of a permit as
recorded in its minutes shall constitute a complete decision of the board. All permits issued by the Permit Board shall
remain in full force and effect until the board makes a final determination
regarding any reissuance, modification, or revocation thereof. The Permit Board shall take action upon an
application within one hundred eighty (180) days following its receipt in the
board's principal office. No action
which affects revocation of an existing permit shall take effect until the
thirty (30) days mentioned in paragraph (4)(b) of this section has expired or
until a formal hearing as prescribed in that paragraph is held, whichever is
later.

(d) The Permit Board may adopt rules of practice
and procedure governing its proceedings that are consistent with the
commission's regulations. All hearings
in connection with permits issued, reissued,
denied, modified or revoked and all appeals from decisions of the Permit Board
shall be as provided in this section.

(e) Upon any conditions that are consistent with
the commission's regulations and subject to those procedures for public notice
and hearings as provided by law, not inconsistent with federal law and
regulations, the Permit Board may issue general permits and, where appropriate,
may consolidate multiple permits for the same facility or operation into a
single permit.

(f) The Permit Board shall not issue any permit
for a new swine concentrated animal feeding operation or the expansion of an
existing swine concentrated animal feeding operation before January 1, 2000,
unless the department received the application for that operation's new or
modified permit before February 28, 1998, or except as provided in this
paragraph (f). In issuing or modifying
any permit for which the department received an application before February 28,
1998, the Permit Board shall apply those siting criteria adopted or used by the
commission before February 28, 1998, unless federal law or regulations require
more stringent criteria. The moratorium
established in this paragraph shall not apply to the issuance of any permit for
a new swine concentrated animal feeding operation or the expansion of an
existing swine concentrated animal feeding operation that uses an animal waste
management system which the applicant demonstrates to the Permit Board is
innovative in significantly reducing the effects of the operation on the public
health, welfare or the environment and which is approved by the Permit
Board. The Permit Board shall not issue
or modify more than five (5) permits under this innovative animal waste
management system technology exemption to the moratorium.

(g) Each applicant for a permit for a new outlet
for the discharge of wastes into the waters of the state who is required to
obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Public
Service Commission for such wastewater system shall submit financial and
managerial information as required by the Public Utilities Staff. Following review of that information, the
Executive Director of the Public Utilities Staff shall certify in writing to
the executive director of the department, the financial and managerial
viability of the system if the Executive Director of the Public Utilities Staff
determines the system is viable. The
Permit Board shall not issue the permit until the certification is received.

(h) The Permit Board shall not issue any permit
that is in conflict with the Mississippi Environmental Equity Act.

(4) (a)
Except as required by this section, before the issuance, reissuance,
denial, modification or revocation of any air pollution control or water
pollution control permit, permit required under the Solid Wastes Disposal Law
of 1974 (Title 17, Chapter 17) or any other permit within its jurisdiction, the
Permit Board, in its discretion, may hold a public hearing or meeting to obtain
comments from the public on its proposed action. Before the issuance,
reissuance, denial, modification pertaining to the expansion of a facility,
transfer or revocation of a permit for a commercial hazardous waste management
facility or a commercial municipal solid waste landfill or incinerator, the
Permit Board shall conduct a public hearing or meeting to obtain comments from
the public on the proposed action. That
hearing or meeting shall be informal in nature and conducted under those
procedures as the Permit Board may deem appropriate consistent with the
commission's regulations.

(b) Within thirty (30) days after the date the
Permit Board takes action upon permit issuance, reissuance, denial,
modification or revocation, as recorded in the minutes of the Permit Board, any
interested party aggrieved by that action may file a written request for a
formal hearing before the Permit Board.
An interested party is any person claiming an interest relating to the
property or project which is the subject of the permit action, and who is so
situated that the person may be affected by the disposition of that action.

The Permit Board
shall fix the time and place of the formal hearing and shall notify the
permittee of that time and place.

In conducting the
formal hearing, the Permit Board shall have the same full powers as to
subpoenaing witnesses, administering oaths, examining witnesses under oath and
conducting the hearing, as is now vested by law in the Mississippi Public
Service Commission, as to the hearings before it, with the additional power that
the Executive Director of the Permit Board may issue all subpoenas at the
instance of the Permit Board or at the instance of any interested party. Any subpoenas shall be served by any lawful
officer in any county to whom the subpoena is directed and return made thereon
as provided by law, with the cost of service being paid by the party on whose
behalf the subpoena was issued.
Witnesses summoned to appear at the hearing shall be entitled to the
same per diem and mileage as witnesses attending the circuit court and shall be
paid by the person on whose behalf the witness was called. Sufficient sureties for the cost of service
of the subpoena and witness fees shall be filed with the Executive Director of
the Permit Board at the time that issuance of the subpoena is requested. At a hearing, any interested party may
present witnesses and submit evidence and cross-examine witnesses.

The Permit Board may
designate a hearing officer to conduct the formal hearing on all or any part of
the issues on behalf of the Permit Board.
The hearing officer shall prepare the record of the formal hearing
conducted by that officer for the Permit Board and shall submit the record to
the Permit Board.

Upon conclusion of
the formal hearing, the Permit Board shall enter in its minutes the board's
decision affirming, modifying or reversing its prior decision to issue,
reissue, deny, modify or revoke a permit.
The Permit Board shall prepare and record in its minutes findings of
fact and conclusions of law supporting its decision. That decision, as recorded in its minutes with its findings of
fact and conclusions of law, shall be final unless an appeal, as provided in
this section, is taken to chancery court within twenty (20) days following the
date the decision is entered in the board's minutes.

(c) Within twenty (20) days after the date the
Permit Board takes action upon permit issuance, reissuance, denial,
modification or revocation after a formal hearing under this subsection as
recorded in the minutes of the Permit Board, any person aggrieved of that
action may appeal the action as provided in subsection (5) of this section.

(5) (a)
Appeals from any decision or action of the Permit Board shall be only to
chancery court as provided in this subsection.

(b)
Any person who is aggrieved by any decision of the Permit Board issuing,
reissuing, denying, revoking or modifying a permit after a formal hearing may
appeal that decision within the period specified in subsection (4)(c) of this
section to the chancery court of the county of the situs in whole or in part of
the subject matter. The appellant shall
give a cost bond with sufficient sureties, payable to the state in the sum of
not less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) nor more than Five Hundred Dollars
($500.00), to be fixed by the Permit Board and to be filed with and approved by
the Executive Director of the Permit Board, who shall forthwith certify the
filing of the bond together with a certified copy of the record of the Permit
Board in the matter to the chancery court to which the appeal is taken, which
shall thereupon become the record of the cause. An appeal to the chancery court as provided in this section shall
not stay the decision of the Permit Board.
The aggrieved party may, within twenty (20) days following the date the
board's decision after a formal hearing is entered on the board's minutes,
petition the chancery court for an appeal with supersedeas and the chancellor
shall grant a hearing on that petition.
Upon good cause shown, the chancellor may grant that appeal with
supersedeas. If granted, the appellant
shall be required to post a bond with sufficient sureties according to law in
an amount to be determined by the chancellor.
Appeals shall be considered only upon the record as made before the
Permit Board. The chancery court shall
always be deemed open for hearing of an appeal and the chancellor may hear the
same in termtime or in vacation at any place in the chancellor's district, and
the appeal shall have precedence over all civil cases, except election
contests. The chancery court shall
review all questions of law and of fact.
If no prejudicial error is found, the matter shall be affirmed. If prejudicial error is found the decision
of the board shall be reversed and the chancery court shall remand the matter
to the Permit Board for appropriate action as may be indicated or necessary
under the circumstances. Appeals may be
taken from the chancery court to the Supreme Court in the manner as now
required by law, except that if a supersedeas is desired by the party appealing
to the chancery court, that party may apply for a supersedeas to the chancellor
of that court, who shall award a writ of supersedeas, without additional bond,
if in the chancellor's judgment material damage is not likely to result
thereby; but otherwise, the chancellor shall require a supersedeas bond as the
chancellor deems proper, which shall be liable to the state for any damage.

25-43-5.
(1) In addition to other rule-making
authority and requirements imposed by law, each agency shall:

(a)
Adopt as a rule a description of its organization, stating the general
course and method of its operations and the methods whereby the public may
obtain information or make submissions or requests.

(b)
Adopt rules of practice setting forth the nature and requirements of all
formal and informal procedures available, including all requirements respecting
the filing of applications for any license and the licensing procedure employed
by the agency and the method whereby persons desiring notice of pending
applications may obtain such notice and request an opportunity to be heard.

(c)
Allow public inspection of all rules and other written statements of
policy or interpretations formulated, adopted or used by the agency in the
discharge of its functions.

(d)
Allow public inspection of all final orders, decisions and opinions.

(2)
No agency rule, order or decision is valid or effective against any
person or party, nor may it be invoked by the agency for any purpose, until it
has been made available for public inspection as herein required. This provision is not applicable in favor of
any person or party who has actual knowledge thereof.

(3)
To the extent that any provision of this section conflicts with any
provision of the Mississippi Environmental Equity Act, the provision (s) of the
Mississippi Environmental Equity Act shall control.

25-43-7.
(1) Prior to the adoption,
amendment or repeal of any rule, the agency shall give at least thirty (30)
days' notice of its intended action.
The notice shall include a statement of either the terms or substance of
the intended action or a description of the subjects and issues involved, and
the manner in which interested persons may present their views thereon. The notice shall be filed with the office of
the Secretary Of State and mailed by the agency to all persons who have made timely
request of the agency for advance notice of its rule-making proceedings. The Secretary Of State shall furnish copies
at the request of any person and shall be reimbursed by the requesting person
for the expense of providing such service.

(2)
If an agency finds that an imminent peril to the public health, safety
or welfare requires adoption of a rule upon fewer than thirty (30) days' notice
and states in writing its reasons for that finding, it may proceed without
prior notice of hearing or upon any abbreviated notice and hearing that it
finds practicable to adopt an emergency rule.
The rule may be effective for a period of not longer than one hundred
twenty (120) days, renewable once for a period not exceeding ninety (90) days,
but the adoption of an identical rule under subsection (1) of this section is
not precluded.

(3) No rule hereafter adopted is valid unless
adopted in substantial compliance with this section. A proceeding to contest any rule on the ground of noncompliance
with the procedural requirements of this section must be commenced within one
(1) year from the effective date of the rule.

(4) To the extent that any provision of this
section conflicts with any provision of the Mississippi Environmental Equity
Act, the provision(s) of the Mississippi Environmental Equity Act shall
control.

SECTION 14. This act
shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.